The Ming Empire Ming Dynasty restored Chinese rule
- Slides: 6
The Ming Empire
Ming Dynasty restored Chinese rule after about 90 years of Mongol rule CLOSED MINDED • • • Zhu Yuanzhnag (13681398) toppled Yuan and renamed himself Hongwu and took dynasty name of Ming meaning “Bright” Cut off contact with Central Asia and Middle East Moved capital from Beijing to Nanjing Although Buddhist, embraced Confucianism and view of emperor reinstituted civil service exam. Making it harder than ever OPEN MINDED CLOSED MINDED • Under Yongle (1403 -1424) moved capital back to Beijing, enlarging it and improving • Restored commercial links with Middle East • Didn’t emphasize Silk Road trade but rather Indian Ocean • Sponsored Zheng He’s voyages in 1405 up until Yongle dies but continues until 1433 • “China’s back in charge of China again” • Voyages stopped after Zheng He’s death • Money was need elsewhere… • Government returned to “Middle Kingdom” mentality and somewhat xenophobic • Censored books on gunpowder and shutdown shipyards in fear of the technology getting into wrong hands… • Many foreign traders still visited China at its southern ports of Canon Macao
Which one is Zheng He’s treasure ship?
VOYAGES OF ZHENG HE
Technology, population and Artistry • Failed to innovate like Tang and Song did in the fields of printing, timekeeping and agriculture • Although Ming means “Bright”, resting on previous technological innovations put the Ming in the wrong trajectory • Population expanded greatly and more time was spent on farming surpluses than cotton like in the Song; deforestation occurred in the South • The former tributary states of Korea and Japan began to outpace them in some fields of technology • Areas they excelled at were literature, decorative arts and painting • Chinese Silk, lacquered furniture and screens, were found throughout the Indian Ocean Trade Network • “Ming ware” was the most prized